Are The New Heaven And The New Earth Already Here? - Part Two

We are examining Revelation 21:1-5 to determine if the new heaven and the new earth are already here.

Remember, Revelation 21:1-5 contains several references to the Jewish Scriptures.

So to understand if the new heaven and new earth has already arrived, we must study the references from the Jewish Scriptures contained in Revelation 21:1-5.

We have already looked into Reference #1 about the new heaven and the new earth.

Let’s now see what the Jewish Scriptures say about the new Jerusalem.

Remember, John saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, descending from heaven to earth.

He wrote in Revelation 21:2, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

So what is the new Jerusalem?

Reference #2: New Jerusalem

For insight into the new Jerusalem, we need to examine the Jewish Scriptures, specifically Isaiah 65:18.

Isaiah 65:18

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”

In the Jewish Scriptures, Yahweh spoke through Isaiah about the Jerusalem he would create that would be delighted in among the people and that would produce joy within the people.

In the Jerusalem God would create, the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.

This is the new Jerusalem.

In the new Jerusalem, their is delight and joy.

This is in contrast to the old Jerusalem where there was weeping and crying.

Why the contrast?

The weeping and crying of the earthly Jerusalem is associated with judgment of the Jewish people under the old testament of law for their rebellion to the law of Moses.

The delight and joy is associated with the new Jerusalem that reflects the new testament of grace established in the blood of Jesus.

The Jewish Scriptures make several references to the new testament of grace that would replace the old testament of law (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; Ezekiel 37:26-28).

Jesus, prior to his death, told his disciples that the new testament would be established in his blood (the Bible does not speak about the new testament being 27 books, but, rather, the blood of Jesus that secured the forgiveness of sins.)

Jesus said…

“Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission [forgiveness] of sin.” (Matthew 26:26-28 Webster Bible Translation)

Notice the words of Jesus.

The new testament is his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins.

This is the same new testament Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians 3:1-6:2 where God is not counting our sins against us -see Part One.

Both Paul and the writer of Hebrews associate the new testament of grace with the new Jerusalem in contrast to the old testament of law being associated the old Jerusalem - the earthly city of Jerusalem.

The writer of Hebrews wrote about this.

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant [testament], and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24)

The writer of Hebrews explained to the Jewish people (the original recipients of the book of Hebrews in AD 65) that the heavenly Jerusalem is the gathering of new testament believers in joyful assembly - notice the word joyful and compare it to joy in Isaiah 65:18.

Also, notice that Jesus is the mediator (the one who reconciles God and people by removing the sin barrier - see 2 Corinthians 5:18-21) of a new testament - a totally new way of relating to God in contrast to the old testament of law (see Hebrews 12:18-24).

Finally, notice that the new testament is established in the blood of Jesus, and those who have placed their faith in Jesus have been internally made perfect - forgiven and cleansed of all sins - the spirits of righteous men made perfect.

The blood of Abel spoke from the ground that Cain was guilty of sin.

The blood of Jesus speaks from the cross that we are innocent of sins because he took our guilt upon himself at the cross.

This is the new testament/covenant of grace.

In Hebrews 12:22-24, those who have trusted in Jesus are assembled together in joyful celebration of the new testament of grace.

Compare this with the sounds of weeping, mourning, and crying coming from the judgments under the old testament of law.

The joyful celebration of the new testament of grace is the new Jerusalem.

Paul wrote about the new Jerusalem in Galatians 4:21-26.

Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.

In these verses, Paul contrasted two women (slave and free, Hagar and Sarah), two sons (Ishmael and Isaac), two covenants/testaments (old and new), two mountains (Mount Sinai and Mount Zion see Hebrews 12:18-24), and two cities (the earthly Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem).

Each of these contrasts symbolize law and grace, or the old testament of law and the new testament of grace.

Law is associated with Hagar, Ishmael, Mount Sinai, and the earthly Jerusalem.

Grace is associated with Sarah, Isaac, the heavenly Mount Zion, and Jerusalem.

As we read in Hebrews 12:22-24, the heavenly Jerusalem is the assembly of believers in joyful celebration of the new testament of grace.

Paul explains clearly in Galatians 4:21-31 that believers in Christ are not in slavery to the old testament law of Moses but live freely in the new testament of grace, knowing that through faith in Jesus they have been declared righteous by God (forgiven of all sins and cleansed from all sins - innocent, justified) and know God as Abba, Father (Galatians 2:21:-5:2).

Paul’s point in Galatians is that righteousness does not come through following to the old testament of law, but righteousness is freely given by God, based on the death of Jesus, and is freely received through faith in Jesus.

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus are a part of the new Jerusalem because they are in the new testament of grace.

With this understanding, let’s move to Part Three of Are The New Heaven And New Earth Already Here? CLICK HERE to read Part Three